Judge temporarily lifts 10 p.m. curfew for bars, restaurants that sued New York State This decision only effects those bars and restaurants involved in the lawsuit at this point. Check back for updates.

The Empire State Restaurant & Tavern Association commends Governor Cuomo for the recent decisions to eliminate cluster zone restrictions and to permit indoor dining in New York City. These actions recognize the declining infection and transmission rates across New York State and provide some hope for increasing revenue for struggling restaurant and tavern owners. The…

Statement of Scott Wexler, Executive Director Empire State Restaurant & Tavern Association “Thanks to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, restaurants and taverns across New York have good reason to be hopeful now that a Federal grant program to help these small, independent businesses has been included in the new COVID relief bill. The restrictions on these…

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Restaurant-relief-25-billion-grant-program-will-15919063.php?IPID=Times-Union-HP-CP-Spotlight  

The State’s recent decisions to remove cluster zone restrictions and permit indoor dining in New York City are welcome news, but with the Super Bowl only days away, it’s time to turn our attention to lifting the 10 pm curfew. You can safely operate your establishment at any time, including past 10 pm. Compliance with…

Empire State Digital is collaborating with Ritual and PayPal to launch a relief program to help hospitality businesses across our state move to contactless transactions, implement touchless payments and increase their online orders. Through March 31, 2021, e-commerce company Ritual will offer its commission-free digital ordering platform Ritual ONE to New York’s restaurants, taverns, and…

The New York State Department of Labor (NYDOL) issued new guidance this month for employers regarding COVID-19 sick leave. As you should be aware, New York employers are required to provide paid and/or unpaid sick leave to employees subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19 (in addition to…

The State’s recent decision to remove cluster zone restrictions and permit indoor dining in New York City are welcome news, but with the Super Bowl only days away, it’s time to turn attention to lifting the 10 pm curfew.You can safely operate your establishment at any time, including past 10 pm. Compliance with the government’s…

Governor Cuomo announced that restaurants in New York City will be able to reopen indoor dining rooms at 25% capacity on Valentine’s Day. According to the Governor, he said the decision to wait until February 14th was based on a desire from the industry to allow time for them to get ready to reopen. We…

During his press briefing today, Governor Cuomo announced that all Orange Zones will be lifted and all Yellow Zones except four will be lifted. Yellow zones remain in place in the Bronx, Washington Heights, Queens, and Newburgh. We expect detailed maps of the remaining Yellow Zones to be released later today. This means restaurants and…

State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon has issued new guidance regarding New York’s COVID-19 paid sick leave law that requires all employers to provide to all employees with COVID paid sick leave for up to three instances of quarantine. Here’s how it works: ▪ An employee is quarantined by a public health official. They are entitled…

New York State’s requirement that all food and beverage sales and consumption cease and patrons vacate the premises by 10 pm every night remains in effect in all parts of the state. Many called on the State to suspend this rule Saturday night for the Buffalo Bills game, but according to a spokesperson for the Department…